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Thursday, 18 October 2012

Japanese researchers on Thursday showed off a full-body robotic suit that is intended to be used by those working at the damaged Fukushima
nuclear plant. The brain wave-controlled suit is meant to allow those
wearing heavy radiation protecting gear to move freely without feeling
the weight. In what is said to be a coincidence, the suit is called HAL,
for Hybrid Assistive Limb, the same name as the evil supercomputer in
the famous sci-fi movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. “I’m sorry Dave, but I can’t let you go near that radioactive debris.”
HAL has a network of sensors that are used to monitor the user’s
brain signals, then it moves the suit’s limbs at the same time as the
wearer, meaning there is little to no weight or force on their muscles.
While Fukushima workers have to wear a 60 kilogram (132 pound) tungsten
vest while working in radiation
zones, it would be almost weightless, says University of Tsukuba
engineering professor Yoshiyuki Sankai. The suit has other important
features, like blocking radiation, interior fans to help circulate air,
and monitoring breathing and heart-rates for signs of fatigue.